China to shield JeM-chief Masood Azhar at UN again?
China often stands up for its all-weather friend, Pakistan at the UN and other multilateral forums. It has in the past thwarted India's attempts to get Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar designated a global terrorist. New reports indicate that China plans on doing the same to halt a US, UK and France-backed proposal to tag Azhar a global terrorist. Here's more about it.
BRICS leaders condemn Pak-based terror groups, pass declaration against terrorism
On September 4, the leaders attending the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, passed a joint declaration condemning "terrorism in all its forms." In an important diplomatic victory for India, the declaration specifically named Pakistan-based terrorist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Taliban, al-Qaida and Haqqani network. During his address at the summit, Indian PM Narendra called for joint action on terrorism.
Who is Masood Azhar?
Azhar is the founder and chief of JeM, a Pakistan-based organization with an active presence in Kashmir. He is believed to have masterminded many attacks on India, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016.
What has happened so far?
The proposal, put forth by the US and backed by the UK and France, was presented before the UN Security Council (UNSC) in January 2017. China, a veto-wielding member of the UNSC put it on a technical hold. It subsequently extended the hold to three months. Intelligence sources indicate that China is planning on disposing the proposal by introducing a "full-fledged block."
India to hit a roadblock again?
The Sino-Pak nexus in its various manifestations is a major foreign policy challenge for India. If China blocks the US proposal, it would diminish India's diplomatic victory at the BRICS summit in getting Beijing to endorse a declaration naming Pak-based terror groups. This would further ruin the prevailing positive mood in Sino-Indian relations following the diplomatic resolution of the Doklam standoff in August 2017.
Meanwhile, US-India counter terrorism cooperation grows stronger
During PM Modi's US visit in June 2017, America named anti-India Hizbul Mujahideen-chief, Syed Salahuddin a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."; The two leaders also set up a "consultation mechanism on domestic and international terrorist designation listing proposals" during this visit. Both countries further agreed to have a dialogue on terrorist designation during US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent visit to India.
